Drunken Owls and Other Delights

Stolen from dancinghorse and aberwyn and la_marquise_de_...

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 (or 7th) of your current ms
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

Since I divvy up my manuscripts by chapter and don't put page number headers up until much later, I had to do a bit of math here...but it looks like it ended up being somewhere near the end of Chapter 3 of Love Like Blood. Come to find out, it's one of my favorite scenes!


Shrieking gave way to ecstatic hooting and hollering. Enclavers lined the roofs of the buildings on Boylston Street. They stood between the two short spires above the church's doors...and on top of the eaves...hell, I think saw a few on top of the tall building the next street over. They were on top of the Fairmont Hotel on the south side of the square, a good few hundred of them...and I was sure if I looked up behind me, there would be a phalanx standing on the library roof.

All of them vampires.

Over a thousand of them, all here in this one spot.

All because of me.

Suddenly Duncan and the black blur shot towards then past me to my left, so close I felt their breath as they flew past, the blur's leather duster flapping by me and snapping against my arm, leaving a stinging welt even underneath my own jacket. I twirled around from the force of their move, almost shoved off balance, only to catch myself just as I heard a hard THOCK against the library’s granite façade. I looked up...both had landed sideways against the granite for a few brief seconds, both of them on their haunches, breathing heavily and staring and snarling at each other.

I finally had a good look at who was kicking Duncan’s ass.

Cassandra glanced at me, winking and flashing a fang. “Hey,” she said.

1. A picture of our neighborhood from the parking lot near the Presidio Landmark apartments, taken earlier today.



2. I love the new scanner I bought. I still need to figure out how to change the settings to color and get photocopy quality, but for now I like the fact that at this point, I'm at least getting a goodly amount of digitizing done, and that's what's important. I want to at least get the writing and the artwork scanned. Any other stuff that needs high-quality digitizing, well, I can figure that out when I get to it.

3. One more week of work, and then emmalyon and I are on vacation to the east coast! We'll be visiting Boston for the first half of the week, and then hanging out in western MA for the rest of the time. Looking forward to it!

4. I'm having a hell of a time trying to revise/rewrite the opening scene in Chapter 1 of A Division of Souls and it's bugging the hell out of me. I think it might be that I'm out of touch with the story...I may need to give the opening a good strong reread before I start pulling it apart.

5. On the other hand, the revision for Love Like Blood is going strong. Considering I'm on Chapter 3 and I only started revising in the middle of last month, I think that's pretty good. I plan on ramping the speed a little more, maybe get at it at least halfway done by next month.


For tomorrow: a possible walk to the ocean and breakfast at Louis' Restaurant if it's not too crowded, more scanning, a bit of writing, other house errands, and not too much else. It's been a pretty relaxing weekend so far.

Wow...where do I start?

I knew going in that this wasn't your usual fan-based or genre-based con (such as Worldcon, Readercon, FOGcon, etc.). I wasn't going to see silly panels debating Bradbury vs. Asimov, or filk sessions, or cosplay contests, or things such as that. Put it this way--this was a work conference for writers, agents, and publishers. In that respect, I'd prepared myself to think about the conference as part of my writing career: a way to think seriously about it, ways to improve it, and more importantly, a way to reach out to others like me who are in the same boat, no matter what professional level they're at.

My first social impression is that the people at the conference here were amazingly friendly. Complete strangers would scan my badge (they deliberately made the first names large so people could read them quickly) and would say hi as they walked by. I'm not the most social person out there--I'm more of a quiet observer than a chatterbox--but this openness definitely helped me open up myself. Within an hour I'd had a good handful of short conversations with others. Additionally, many of the people loved to ask each other what they were currently working on, so it was fun to bounce ideas off random strangers.

It also helped that quite impressive breakfasts and luncheons were offered on Friday through Sunday. Fitting about five hundred or so people into the ballroom meant that there would be about eight to a table, so it was hard to ignore the people next to you as you touched elbows with them. I met a few very nice people, young and old, during these luncheons and the conversations were always fun.

The panels (or "classes") were very well run...very much like any other con, they had a few available per hour that you could choose from. Most ran for about 45 minutes which gave you a good fifteen minutes between panels so you could make it to each one with quite a bit of time to spare. They had a few tech people on hand to jump in at a moment's notice if there were any problems with the audio and/or video--that alone was impressive, considering I always felt most cons didn't have enough A/V people. Which reminds me--all of the panels were recorded for posterity, and I could order copies if so desired. I don't think I've ever been to a con that's done that.

The crazy special part--the "Speed Dating with Agents"--was probably the most nerve-wracking-yet-fun thing I've ever done related to writing. It's exactly what it says: you get in line for a specific agent you want to talk to, and when it's your turn, you have three minutes to do your pitch. Well--given that I hadn't really done a professional pitch like this before, I did what I could not to go down in flames. It did help that all the agents were super nice and willing to listen and had nothing but positive things to say, even if they weren't interested or thought it needed work. I pitched Love Like Blood to one who thought it was an interesting twist on the idea, though they felt there was definitely a glut of vampire books out there. She did suggest sending in the firs ten pages (I've a feeling that was said to quite a few, but it still felt good to hear). I pitched Walk in Silence to another, admitting that it wasn't quite finished, and they thought it was an AWESOME idea and that I just needed to get my name out there a bit more, and would definitely be interested. So yeah, there's that. :)

There's more I want to get into, but it's getting late here and I need to get some last minute writing done before the end of the evening. Perhaps I'll post a bit more over the next few days on some panel-specific thoughts I had.

2012 WRITING SCHEDULE

Main Goals
--Finish and prepare front burner projects
      --A Division of Souls (revision, submission)
      --Love Like Blood (revision, submission)
      --Walk in Silence (writing, interviews, research)
--Prepare secondary projects for shift to front burner
      --The Persistence of Memories (revision)
      --Can’t Find My Way Home (revision of outline, writing)
      --Angela Death (revamp of story/outline, writing)
--Utilize time available for new projects
      --Longhand writing when away from PC/laptop
      --Weekends for non-writing projects


By Time

--As time allows, time spent between arriving at work and actual work time (7am-ish to 7:30am) should be utilized by longhand work. This can include poetry, new work, notes, revision, or brainstorming.

--As time allows, time spent after arriving home (minus any errands/dinner/workout, etc.) should follow the "By Week" schedule below. Minimum productive writing time: 1.5 hours, more if time allows.

By Day

SUNDAY:
--Outlining current and future projects
--Post poem on Dreamwidth account (worked on over the week or at that moment)
--Walk in Silence project
      --Research or writing
      --Update WordPress WiS website
--2x a month: Artwork--work on a project or scan and post

MONDAY:
--New Words

TUESDAY:
--Revision

WEDNESDAY:
--New Words

THURSDAY:
--Revision
--Update WordPress WiS website (optional)

FRIDAY:
--Any transcription/revision of longhand into PC
--Catch-up on any work of current week

SATURDAY:
--Outlining current and future projects
--New Words and/or Revision
--Tumblr picture post

--New words or revision as time allows
--Any additional work/posting is of course acceptable, if time allows.



By Project

Current projects/works in progress to be worked on:

EDEN CYCLE BRIDGETOWN TRILOGY
--Update reference files and character sheets
--Revision
--Submission

EDEN CYCLE NEW TRILOGY/PREQUELS/SHORTS/ETC.
--Brainstorming new ideas
--Character sheets
--Outlining and plot-mapping
--Outtakes and notes
--Longhand writing

LOVE LIKE BLOOD
--Revision
--Submission

CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME
--Outline revision
--Character sheets
--Longhand writing

ANGELA DEATH
--Revamp of characters and story
--Outlining
--Character sheets
--Longhand writing

WALK IN SILENCE
--Outlining
--Writing
--Reference
--Interviews
--Submission


Non-Writing Projects (Long-Term)

MUSIC
--Guitar practice
--Record demos on PC software
--Dub/Remix older songs from cassette

ART
--drawing
--Murph strips/storyline
--ink/pastel
--scanning of older work
--posting online

PHOTOGRAPHY
--Learn more about what I can do with new camera
--Utilize Photoshop for editing, etc.

This was probably the first time in awhile where I deliberately chose not to participate (usually I'm more passive about it--"oh, it's 11/5 already and I forgot...oh well, too late now"). However, this was also the first time I really thought about why I chose not to this time. There's a few reasons why I don't do it, and they have nothing to do with it being a good/bad/stupid/brilliant writing exercise:

--My word count varies from day to day. I've had days where I've written 4,000 words in the span of three hours, and there's been days when I had to strangle my brain just so I could eke out 600 in two. It really depends on what I'm working on and where I am in the project.

--While writing around 1700 words a day for a whole month is doable, I'm just too much of a damn perfectionist (that is, I'm a revise-as-I-go type of writer for the most part), and if I start out cold with little or no idea where it's going, then I'm setting myself up for failure. Day One will be new words, Day Two will be rereading and touching up Day One's work, and leaving very little time left for Day Two's expected word count.

--While I can certainly 'make it up as I go along', my writing is that much slower when I do. If I'm working from a completely clean slate, unless the book is going to be a relatively simple plot with little worldbuilding, I just won't be able to squeeze it into thirty days.

--I'd feel like I'm cheating if I did an outline beforehand. I know, it doesn't matter, but that's just the way I am. I normally don't do complete outlines, but I plan at least a chapter or so ahead while writing, so I'm not completely winging it.

--Personal events have gotten in the way over the years. Vacations, moving preparations, day job workload, personal stress...all of these have gotten in the way in the past, and I've decided that it's just not worth the extra stress, especially it being fourth quarter.

--I can work on a deadline, even if I do hem and haw all the way (and thankfully emmalyon puts up with it). But too many times I've gone into NaNoWriMo with the best of intentions only to fail miserably about a week or so later. Last year it was because I realized my NaNo project (a "complete rewrite" exercise for A Dvision of Souls) was going in a direction I did not want it to go, and stopped it before I wasted any more of my time.

All that said...

The weekly schedule I created at the start of this year was probably the best idea I've had for my writing in the last decade. I knew that setting up some sort of ritual would work, considering that from 2000 to 2005 I was down cellar in the Belfry almost every single night from 7pm to 9pm, listening to my latest CD purchases and hammering out at least a thousand new words for the trilogy (or near the end, for Love Like Blood). I didn't get a chance to work on that for the latter half of the decade due to being newly married, moving across the country, among other things. There was also the deliberate avoidance of writing out of frustration, which I've gone on about here on LJ before. Suffice it to say, I believe finishing the trilogy really put me back on track there.

The long and short of all of this? I don't think I can finish a novel in thirty days, not without causing aggravation...but I could conceivably finish one in a year if I follow a schedule. And I'm happy with that.

No Pats game here on the west coast. BOO! X( On the other hand, we do get the Raiders/Steelers game, as well as the Bucs/Niners game, so at least we do have some local games. Although I've a feeling the Niners are going to tank as usual...this is definitely not their season...

Today continues the weird weather: the rain sun rain sun MAKEUPYERFRIGGINMIND who-knows-at-this-point is most likely going to play havoc with any ideas of going outside, although a quick run for coffee may be in order, as usual. It's freakin' COLD out this morning, in terms of San Francisco weather at least (yeah, I know 49 degrees is balmy back east, shut up). The psychotic weather should end somewhere around Tuesday, just in time for a few sunny days near the end of the week. Just in time for Turkey Day! :)

Not too much else to report here...I need to start the laundry, straighten up Spare Oom a bit, maybe even do a bit more cleaning. You know, the usual boring housecleaning. I believe we have nearly everything we need for our Thanksgiving food preparation (emmalyon is gonna make butter tarts!!), so I don't think we need to do much food shopping, especially since we bought quite a bit from the Grande around the corner yesterday.

And later, while listening to the Potted Plant Countdown (thank you, streaming WAMH), I'll be doing more work on Love Like Blood. As mentioned briefly on my Facebook page, chapter 9 needs a bit more work, so after I finish this go-round, I may backtrack and go over it again. It still feels a bit rough. Plus my usual Sunday afternoon poetry over at Dreamwidth.

Hope everyone has a nice Sunday!

Granted, the first few days of this past week were productive, as I was able to get a few more pages done on Love Like Blood, which I think has come out in the lead as far as who's leaving the front door next in a nice package to a friendly editor/agent. I'm already halfway through it, and I'm happy with what I'm seeing so far, so we'll see where it goes.

As for A Division of Souls, this one seems to be evolving into one of those projects you work on for decades in hope that it eventually ends with something shiny and readable. I'm still in need of rearranging/cleaning up/editing the first four or five chapters--gods know they need it--and there even may be a Sniny Brand New Chapter or Two in there to replace the weak spots. Specifically, I'm finding that it is important to have Governor Rieflin in there, even if his plot is somewhat secondary--he's there as a voice of the unaffected, someone to give voice to those who fear what's happening (and to me, it seems a little strange to completely keep that out). An encapsulation of Vox Populi in a way, I suppose. He's misguided, but he means well, and eventually he'll learn the truth, just like everyone else.

Other than that...I've been doing a bit of goofing off too. Still trying to get out of Vacation Mode, even if it is a three-day weekend!

More soon, perhaps at jonchaisson.

Love Like Blood:
Finished off another revision of Chapter 3. I'm thinking the Big Action Scene near the end of the chapter still needs a bit of work, or at least a better lead into it, but I'll work on that on the next wave through. The final shot probably needs a bit of work too. Working on Chapter 4 now, in which we find Our Hero doing all sorts of fun things three months later. I just started this so I'm not exactly sure what needs fixing yet.

A Division of Souls:
I have to remind myself that my writing style for LLB is definitely different from this one, so it doesn't necessarily need to sound the same. On the other hand, Most of this was written a good eight or nine years ago so could probably do with some dusting off. There's a lot of extraneous stuff not needed, a few connecting scenes not needed, and a lot of prose that needs cleaning up. Keep in mind, this is still dealing with the first few chapters...which almost always need a lot of work come revision time.

Walk In Silence:
Due to the fact that I'd saved the two WIS chapters in a newer MS Word format that this laptop doesn't have, I find myself currently not working on the actual writing of it. However, yesterday afternoon to evening I started something I'd meant to do some time ago, a "music chronology" reference sheet--basically a chronology of music releases (only some albums at present, but will add singles, comps, and other timely things to it once Spare Oom is back up and running). My reason for making this is so I can refer to a chronology without having to boot up my mp3 collection or go to Wikipedia every five minutes. Sure, it might be a bit off, but it's something to work with at any rate.

Other:
A few ideas in mind that may see light this coming week. More about that soon.


Overall:
The scheduling is working well so far! Basically I worked on LLB on Monday and Tuesday, ADoS on Wednesday and Thursday, did a bit of both on Friday, and worked on the WIS chronology on Saturday. There's room for variation, but I like how this is working out, so I'll be sticking to it.

PC:
So yeah, moving all my personal files (read: copies my writing, pictures and mp3s) *back* to the externals is taking some time, but hopefully everything will be back to normal by this evening. Contemplating which programs I *really* need on there and ones I can put on at a later date.

ZOO:
Went to the SF Zoo yesterday where I managed to video ten full minutes of GRIZZLY BEAR SMACKDOWN. The two grizzlies they have there were having a bit of fun wrasslin' in their pool and I got some really good footage out of it. I may post it here at some point soon. ALSO! The fishing cats are now up near the rest of the cats there, and one could tell they were still a bit nervous about being there. Emm got a really good picture of one hissing at her. And OMG, there were two monkeys (forgot what kind they were) that would NOT shut up. You could hear them all the way across the entire zoo. I think they even got the lemurs all worked up and howling at one point too.

WRITING:
So I'm reading what I have of Can't Find My Way Home, and OH MAN does it need work. The prose is craptastic and the dialogue is wooden. On the plus side, I have a complete outline to work with, so I can start over if/when need be.

Also, slowly but surely moving along with Love Like Blood. It's still in need of work, and there are a few subplots I may either drop or revise completely, but other than that it's moving in the right direction. Just wish I had more time in a day to work on it!

TODAY:
Did our walking today by taking the #1 bus up to Arguello and walking all the way back via Clement Street. Had brunch at Q Restaurant, stopped at Green Apple Books, and finally stopped at the Quickly up the street from our place for bubble teas.

Further on today: continuation of PC fixing, plus doing laundry (doing that currently), and maybe squeezing in some writing if I have time left over. Plus watching all sorts of fun stuff on TV.

I just finished another runthrough of Chatper 1 of Love Like Blood. That should not have taken that long!!

As it stands: 36 pages, 10433 words. Kind of long and most likely will be cut into two chapters, but the scene has been set and it reads a HELL of a lot better than when dancinghorse and emmalyon last looked at it. I'm not sure, but I think the ending could use a little more polishing, but other than that it looks good.

One down, nineteen more to go.

*sigh* The work of a writer never seems to end... ;)